Unwanted Sacrifice
by xfilesfanatic
Summary: A conversation between Bill Mulder and the Syndicate. Pre X-Files.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own the X-Files, and I am making no money off of this.

**A/N:** This is my explanation of how the file Mulder found in "Paper Clip" came to be Samantha's, even though it was originally his. Note: some various quotes from throughout the show are incorporated into the story. No infringement or theft from the show is intended. So don't sue. Please R & R. I welcome all feedback!

Unwanted Sacrifice

SOMEWHERE IN DESERTED BUILDING, 1973

The men of darkness gathered in the privacy of their conference room; it was here they often sat down to discuss urgent situations at hand, and… This matter was most urgent. The project was at a standstill, and the alien colonists were willing to give them the one thing with which they needed to proceed, but at a terrible price. However, all of the members submitted to the painful demand. That is, all but one…

The sound of door knob jiggling caught the attention of the conspirators as they all focused their eyes on the doorway entrance. The man they had been waiting for finally arrived.

"Hello, Bill. You're late," said the cancer man flatly as he flicked his lighter to begin a fresh smoke.

Bill Mulder glared at his former military colleague, who once would prefer a book over a smoke any day. Then he turned his attention to the rest of the men gathered, whose figures appeared just as dark as silhouettes against a wall; their faces barely illuminated by a faint streak of light that passed through the glass of the dusty window of the room. He opened his mouth to speak, projecting hatred and disgust towards the men before him, "Gentlemen, you're lucky I came at all. You have no idea how close I was to not coming. But as much as I detest this loathsome project, it's 26 years too late to back out. I-"

"No time for regrets, Mr. Mulder!" snapped the well-manicured man. "Have you chosen who you will give to them?"

From a corner in the back of the room, Strughold, with his thick Tunisian accent intervened: "You promised us a decision by today. We need to complete the exchange in return for the alien fetus, and everyone here has fulfilled their part of the deal except for you."

Bill Mulder couldn't stand it. These were their families they were talking about! How could he possibly hurt Teena by ripping one of their own children away from them, how could Spender subject the mother of his own son to terrible tests and torture? Who knew that one UFO crash in Roswell would begin a chain reaction that subjected so many to suffering. _No! He wouldn't give in to this!_

He sighed at the thought, erasing it from his mind as quickly as he could, for such opposition, whether spoken aloud or silently, could very easily cost him his life. Without a word, he pulled out a folder and handed it to the cancer man, who accepted it with his free hand, which was as just as yellow-stained by nicotine as the one occupied by his cigarette.

Tension lingered in the air, and after he perused through the pages of the file, he closed the folder and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Very clever, Bill, but this just won't do," He stated as he pointed to the label on the file, which read:

_SUBJECT NAME: Mulder, Fox William_

_BIRTHDATE: 10/13/1961 ID: 292544_

"You see," he continued as he exhaled a puff of smoke, "I've already given them someone from my family. My son may have your name, but he is not yours to sacrifice. Let me put it simply to you, Bill. It's your wife or your daughter."

This was the last straw, and as dangerous as it was to for him to protest, his anger spread within him like wildfire, forcing his innermost thought out into the open: "This is too much to ask for the sake of cloning experiments, and development of vaccines so that we can save ourselves from the colonization! Damn the project! What will it even be worth in the end?"

Suddenly, an elder of the Syndicate raised his hand to cut him off and spoke in a raspy voice, "Let us remind you, Mr. Mulder that none of us are making this decision lightly, but it is crucial for our progress. Surrender your human collateral, and she will survive the holocaust."

As frightening as the situation was, Bill Mulder knew that no matter how much he resisted, there was no getting out of this. If he didn't surrender a family member, one would be taken by force, and he would probably be killed. _It was either that, or taking a chance that handing over his baby just might save her life in the longrun. At this point, the second option seemed like the only way to go, heartbreaking as it may be._

"Take…_her_." He responded reluctantly in a low voice as he avoided the Syndicates' stare and glued his eyes to the floor. Turning around, he opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks just before exiting the threshold, "…but if my baby loses her life to this cause, I will make us all very famous men." And with that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

_The room was still for a moment, as silent communication was shared between the shadow men through nods and eye contact. They all agreed that they'd have to keep their eye on this rebel, and if he did anything rash, they'd deal with him accordingly. But for right now, the only thing that mattered was that the exchange was complete. The project would continue until time came to destroy it…_

"Well, gentlemen, that went well. I suppose our meeting is adjourned," said the cancer man in a cool, composed voice as he crushed the end of his cigarette against an ash tray.

"Not quite," shot the elder with the raspy voice. "There's just one more thing we need to do…"

_They all nodded, and proceeded with the final step. Another elder sat up from his chair and walked toward the folder that Bill Mulder had brought. In an instant, he disposed its contents, and then covered the original label with a new one. The file now read:_

_SUBJECT NAME: Mulder, Samantha Ann_

_BIRTH DATE: 11/21/65 ID: 378671_


End file.
